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Top Urban Legends

By definition, an urban legend is a piece of modern folklore that, by word of mouth or e-mail, tells a story that usually is believed by those who hear it. Without further ado, here are some of the top urban legends of our time...

Alligator colony that lived in NYC's sewer system

With roots in the early 1900s, it was believed that baby gators were being brought up as souvenirs from vacationers coming back from Florida. When the gator became too large, they were flushed down the toilet to live in the sewers of NYC...

Although the legend was believed to be true, it was eventually debunked and is FALSE!

Dirty Needles in Public Places

Variations of this legend have been told with different victims and methods but the message was inherently the same. It was believed that drug users were ditching their used needles in public places, leaving unsuspecting victims exposed to hepatitis and HIV...

The needle legend took off when an e-mail chain went around urging people to avoid payphone coin slots. The e-mail claimed the payphone coins slots as the place where the dirty needles were being dumped. This legend was eventually exposed as a hoax.

The Kidney Thief

This legend has roots as early as 1991 where it describes the grim tale of a business traveler who falls victim to a new black market. The traveler, after a long day, goes to the local bar to grab a drink before bed. He gets into conversation with a local, who ends up buying the traveler a spiked drink...

The next thing the traveler remembers is waking up in a bathtub, filled with ice, with a note saying "Don't move and Call 911". It's not long before the traveler realizes his kidneys have been stolen. Although it's a great scary story to tell, the legend is FALSE.

Bloody Mary

Going back to the 1960s, the legend of 'Bloody Mary' scared children across the US. The tortured soul of Mary was to appear after a summoning ritual involving a dark bathroom and a mirror...

After being summoned, it was believed that Mary would kill the summoner by a beating, slashing, or by being sucked into the mirror. Many brave children tried, but Mary never appeared...FALSE.

Loch Ness Monster

The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has been told for generations. This 'Monster Myth' captivated journalists, scientists, biologists, and even generated a local cult following! Does 'Nessy' still patrol the waters of Loch Ness? The answer still remains a mystery.

Bigfoot

Tales of large, hairy, human-like beasts have been told for the greater part of the 20th century, with most centralizing in the Pacific Northwest. Most that have encountered the beasts described them as 'large apemen'. How could similar recollections spanning 50 years be wrong?

Reflection Legend

This fictitious story revolves around a little girl who is home alone during a wintry snow storm. After an evening of studying, she decides to relax a bit and watch her favorite movie. The television was positioned in such a way that she could see onto her patio in the backyard. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a man peering in at her. She panicked and called the police...

When the police arrived, the little girl tells them about the man who was standing outside. The police look out back and explain to the girl that no one could've been there since there would be footprints in the snow. Just as police were about to leave, an officer stopped behind the couch that the girl was sitting on. His jaw dropped and his skin turned pale. The officer had discovered wet footprints behind the couch. The little girl didn't see a man outside... but a man's reflection in the television.

Flashing Headlights

Dating back to 1993, a story circulated involving brutal gang initiations where gang members would drive around with their headlights off. The gang was to pursue and kill the first driver to flash their headlights in response to theirs being off...

The story gained so much traction that police departments across the United States took precautions to protect their communities. Fortunately, the story proved to be a hoax and no such incidents were ever reported.

Tainted Candy

For decades, fake stories circulated about the 'stereotypical crazy neighbor' poisoning the candies that they'd be handing out to the neighborhood children. Some variations even involved razorblades that were inserted into candies...

Although trick-or-treating safety protocol was heightened, no such incidents were ever reported. It's believed the story took root in 1974 when a Texas father poisoned his own child with a cyanide-pixie stick.

'Cokelore'

Coca-Cola has fallen victim to so many legends, enthusiasts categorize the tales as 'Cokelore'. One misleading legend tries to pin the drink as being so acidic that it could dissolve a human tooth overnight...but the most famous legend involved a popular candy...

Pop Rocks and Coke

With roots in the late 1970s, it was believed that the combination of Pop Rocks candy and Coke would cause an individuals stomach to explode! It became such an issue that General Foods responded to rumors by advertising the safety of Pop Rocks in major publications and by writing out to school principals across the US. Other than a large belch, there were no fatal effects of the candy/soda combo.

Frozen in Time

Rumor has it that Walt Disney was cryogenically frozen in hopes that technology would advance to where he could be thawed and brought back to life...

But this legend has been debunked, due to the fact the Walt Disney was cremated in December of 1966.

The Choking Doberman

There's a story about a woman who comes home from work to find her Doberman gasping for air on the house's floor. She quickly reacts and throws him in the car and rushes to the vet. There it's determined that the vet has to perform a tracheotomy. The vet explained that it was something that the woman probably didn't want to see and requested her to go home. Later, when the woman arrived home, she heard her phone ringing off the hook...

It was the vet shouting for the woman to get out of the house immediately and have a neighbor call the cops! Why? The vet found three human fingers lodged in the Doberman's throat. When police arrived, they found an unconscious intruder in the woman's closet, missing fingers on one hand. Although this legend spread like wildfire in the early 80s, no incident was reported to pinpoint this story's origin.

Although the previous legends were widely believed as true, the validity of them was often questioned and debunked as myth. But these next stories are very real, making them all the creepier...

Accidental Hanging

This TRUE story took flight in 1990, where a boy was accidentally hung by the gallows that were created for theatrical purposes as part of a haunted hayride stunt...

During the performance, the safety failed, hanging the young performer. Other staff didn't think anything of it because of the theatrical nature behind the entire Halloween-themed event.

Under the Bed

This TRUE legend describes the hotel stay of a honeymooning couple in Las Vegas. The story starts as a couple enters their hotel room to find a horrible smell lingering inside. They rushed down to the front desk to complain and seek another room, but unfortunately the hotel was booked...

To compensate, the hotel covered their stay and their meals. After a night, the husband couldn't take it anymore and decided to tear apart the room, seeking for the source of the smell. Just as he flipped over the mattress, he found the decomposing body of a missing woman.

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